Church Street, Winner Street and Palace Avenue are the oldest parts of Paignton and Kirkham House is a late medieval stone house in the town which is open to the public at certain times of year, despite suffering fire damage over the years. The Coverdale Tower adjacent to Paignton Parish Church is named after Bishop Miles Coverdale, who published an English translation of the Bible in 1536 and was the last Bishop to occupy the tower as a residence.

Oldway Mansion is probably the most famous building in Paignton and was built for Isaac Merritt Singer. More recently the steam railway line from Paignton to Churston has dominated people memories. It was originallyb built by the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, and was opened to passengers on 2 August 1859. This gave Torquay and Paignton a reliable link to London for the first time, and the area became a popular destination for wealthy Londoners.

Paignton Pier opened in 1879 and as Paignton's economy relies heavily on tourism and the town is marketed as a location for family holidays. During the summer, the long safe swimming beach is often packed with tourists, but not as much as the heady days of the 60's. .

The seafront area is dominated by Paignton Pier and the Apolloi cinema. The Pier is a 780 foot long structure opened in 1879. It was designed by George Soudon Bridgman, the local architect who also designed the original Oldway Mansion. The Festival Theatre opened in 1967 and was once a seafront theatre capable of staging large summer shows, but in 1999 it was converted into a multiscreen cinema, The Apollo.

Regatta Week during early August is the peak holiday season, and during this period there is a funfair on Paignton Green, along with a large fireworks display. Later in August is Children's Week, which includes a wide range of events and competitions . Paignton has a variety of holiday accommodation, and there are numerous pubs, nightclubs and restaurants in the town.

Paignton Zoo, one of the largest zoos in the United Kingdom, is situated on the outskirts of the town and is a great attraction. As a conservation zoo many animals are shown in their natural habitat.

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